Deep in the
woods of the Northeast Asian deciduous forest roams
the least weasel. Its long slender body and sharp
nails help this mammal hunt day and night. The
least weasel is the smallest carnivore in the
world. The least weasel's habitat consists of
living in stone walls, hedges, farmland, and the
woods. Least weasels avoid deep forests, sandy
deserts, and open spaces. Male and female least
weasels both have their own territory.
Females

may overlap with another female, but a male's territory is
all his, he may even fight for it. The male's territory may
consist of 40 acres.

The least weasel is
mostly found in the Northeast Asian deciduous forest, which
covers Korea, Eastern Asia, Japan, China, and Russia. Least
weasels can range in this area from 30 degrees to 47 degrees
North latitude and 110 degrees east Fahrenheit to 145
degrees east Fahrenheit in longitude. The Northeast Asian
deciduous forest has warm summers and cold winters. It is
home to many mammals and birds but is currently threatened
because of loggers chopping down trees.

The least weasel's
coat is a dirty brown and dirty white color most of the
year, but in the winter the fur turns to pure brown and pure
white to blend in with the snow. The coat does not grow
longer than 0.6 inches. It has a slender body, which are 4
to 10 inches long. A male's weight ranges from 1.5 to 8.75
pounds. A female's weight ranges from 0.8 to 4.3 pounds. The
least weasel's head is long and an oval shape, like a
ferret. Their eyes are usually black and their ears are
short and stubby even though they have very good hearing.
Least weasels have very good sense of smell with their long
nose. Their paws have 5 toes with sharp claws used as
weapons in hunting.

The least weasel
becomes sexually mature at 3-4 months. Their mating seasons
are spring and summer with a gestation period lasting from
35-37 days. The least weasel has 3-10 babies, weighing 0.04
to 0.06 ounces, and are wrinkled, pink and naked. They have
no abilities. The mother raises the young by herself while
the father leaves right after mating. The baby least weasels
are weaned at four to five weeks and the mother hunts for
them until they are 4 weeks old. At that time the training
of adulthood begin s. The least weasels are fully
independent at 12 weeks old, at which time they leave their
family. The least weasel's interval is its den and it is
mostly solitary. These mammals live up to 2 years in the
wild and up to 10 years in captivity. Least weasels are
active day and night.

The least weasel's
diet consists of mice, rats, moles, small birds, bird's
eggs, rabbits, and poultry. The least weasel's claws and
sharp teeth help this animal to catch their prey. The least
weasel is the smallest carnivore in the world. It can kill
prey up to 5 times its own size. The least weasel's
predators are large hawks and owls. This animal benefits our
environment because it kills rodents to keep the population
low. One way a least weasel helps itself survive in its
environment is its coat and how it changes to blend in with
the snow. The least weasel is not endangered but more of
them are dying because the loggers are pushing them out of
their home. This animal has basically no predators but
because of its short life span its not overpopulated.

Most interesting
about the least weasel is that it is the smallest carnivore.
It is amazing that something so small can kill something so
much bigger than it can. Its habitat and biome, the
Northeast Asian deciduous forest, is endangered. The least
weasels are fleeing from their homes and drowning in oceans
trying to get away from the loggers. If we try to preserve
the Northeast Asian deciduous forest we can help the least
weasel from being extinct.